Headwear device with visor for eyeglasses

ABSTRACT

A headwear device is configured for use with eyeglasses. The headwear device includes a visor, a crown, and two temple members extending rearwardly from the visor. The headwear device further includes two clips extending from the two temple members. Each clip includes a cylindrical portion defining an axial recess. The axial recess is designed and dimensioned to receive a temple of the eyeglasses.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/040,010, filed Jul. 19, 2018, which claimspriority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/534,983, filedJul. 20, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD

This document relates to the field of light shades and particularly toheadwear devices configured to block sunlight or other bright light fromthe eyes of a wearer.

BACKGROUND

When an individual is outside or in other bright light situations, it isoften desirable for the individual to shield his or her eyes from thebright light. Sunglasses, baseball caps and visors are commonly used toshield eyes from bright lights. However, it is often inconvenient for auser to switch between sunglasses and regular eyeglasses when movingbetween normal light and bright light environments. Similarly, it isoften inconvenient for a user to carry a cap or other relatively largeheadwear when moving between normal light and bright light environments.While caps and other conventional headwear can be easily donned andremoved, some individuals may not want to wear a cap or otherconventional headwear because it may mess up the individual's styledhair. Moreover, the way in which caps and other headwear typically fiton the head of the wearer does not shield light in a manner that willbest protect a wearer's eyes from bright light.

In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide a headweardevice configured to effectively shield light from the eyes of a wearerin bright light situations. It would also be advantageous if suchheadwear device were easy to carry and concealable when not in use.Additionally, it would also be advantageous if such headwear device werecomfortable to wear and did not result in damage to the wearer'shairstyle. Furthermore, it would be advantageous if such headwear devicecould be used with conventional eyeglasses in lieu of sunglasses.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, there isprovided a headwear device includes a visor configured to clip on to theeyeglasses of a wearer and rest on top of the eyeglasses. The visor islightweight and configured to rest on the eyeglasses in a manner thatprevents bright light from above the visor reaching the eyes of thewearer. Additionally, the configuration of the headwear device preventsthe device from interfering with the hairstyle of the wearer.

In another embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a headweardevice including a visor, a first coupling member, and a second couplingmember. The first coupling member extends from at least one of twolateral portions of the visor. The second coupling member releasablyengages the first coupling member and includes a first surfaceconfigured to engage the first coupling member and a second surfaceconfigured to receive a temple of the eyeglasses.

In accordance with a further embodiment, a method of shielding awearer's eyes from light is provided. The method includes arrangingeyeglasses on the wearer's head, engaging a second surface of a secondcoupling member of a headwear device with a temple of the eyeglasses,and releasably engaging the second coupling member with a first couplingmember of the headwear device. The eyeglasses include at least one lensand frames, and the frames include a temple. The headwear deviceincludes a visor having two lateral portions, and the first couplingmember extends from at least one of the two lateral portions. The secondcoupling member is configured to releasably engage the first couplingmember via a first surface of the second coupling member.

The above described features and advantages, as well as others, willbecome more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art byreference to the following detailed description and accompanyingdrawings. While it would be desirable to provide a headwear device thatprovides one or more of these or other advantageous features, theteachings disclosed herein extend to those embodiments which fall withinthe scope of any appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplishone or more of the above-mentioned advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a left side perspective view of an embodiment of a headweardevice with a visor;

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the headwear device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of the headwear device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a posterior view of the headwear device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows a right side view of the headwear device of FIG. 1positioned on eyeglasses;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a headwear device;

FIG. 7 shows a posterior perspective view of the headwear device of FIG.6;

FIG. 8 shows posterior view a first coupling member and a secondcoupling member of the headwear device of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 shows a further posterior view of the first and second couplingmembers of the headwear device of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the first andsecond coupling members of the headwear device of FIG. 6 positioned on atemple;

FIG. 11 shows a posterior view of another embodiment of the first andsecond coupling members of the headwear device of FIG. 6;

FIG. 12A shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a headwear device;

FIG. 12B shows a further perspective view of the headwear device of FIG.12A; and

FIG. 13 shows a method of shielding a wearer's eyes using a headweardevice;

DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1-5, a headwear device 10 is shown. The headweardevice 10 is configured for use with traditional eyeglasses includinglenses retained within rims and two temples extending in a posteriordirection from the rims. The headwear device 10 includes a crown 20extending upwardly from a visor 30. Two temple members 40, 42 extendrearwardly from the visor. Two clips 60, 62 extend downwardly from thetwo temple members 40, 42. Each clip is configured to receive one of thetemple members 40, 42 and retain the headwear device 10 on theeyeglasses.

The headwear device 10 is a monolithic component such that the crown 20,visor 30, temple members 40, 42 and clips 60, 62 are provided as aunitary piece with each component connected to another component suchthat no one component can be removed from another component withoutdestruction of the headwear device 10. Accordingly, the variouscomponents of the headwear device may be integrally formed using amolding process, such as injection molding or compression molding. Inother embodiments different processes may be used to form the componentsof the headwear device 10, such as a 3D printing process or othermanufacturing process. Any of various materials may be used to form theheadwear device 10. In at least one embodiment, the headwear device iscomprised of a lightweight polymer material such as polypropylene orother polymers of relatively low density and light weight. In variousembodiments the polymer may be provided in any of various forms thatoffer structural stability yet light weight, such as foam materials,metal materials, cellular materials, or composite materials.

The crown 20 of the headwear device 10 is provided by a front panel thatextends in an upward direction from the visor 30. The front panel of thecrown is provided by a curved wall with a gradually and continuouslycurved interior surface and similarly shaped exterior surface. Thecurved interior surface designed and dimensioned to closely abut theforehead of a majority of adult humans and also span the width of amajority of adult eyeglasses (from a right lateral edge of the rims to aleft lateral edge of the rims). Accordingly, the width of the crown 20from left side to right side is typically between about 3.5 and 6inches. The height of the crown 20 (as it extends above the visor 30) isrelatively low compared to the crown of a traditional cap or visorheadwear. For example, the height of the crown 20 may be between about0.5 and 2 inches extending upward from the visor 30. The height of thecrown 20 above the visor 30 varies from end to end, with the shortestheight at the center of the crown and gradually increasing on both sidesmoving toward the lateral edges. The upper lateral edges of the crown 20are chamfered to provide comfort to the wearer and prevent any sharpedges from engaging the forehead of the wearer. The chamfered edges alsoreduce the weight of the crown 20 and therefore the overall weight ofthe headwear device 10 while also further limiting any possibleinterference with the hair of the wearer.

The visor 30 provides a brim for the headwear device 10 which extendsoutwardly from the crown 20 in a substantially horizontal direction. Inthe disclosed embodiment the visor 30 extends outward between 1 and 6inches at a front center of the crown 20, and between 0.25 and 2 inchesat the lateral sides of the crown 20. As best shown in FIG. 1, the visor30 includes a curved upper surface with the center of the visor 30intersecting the crown at a slightly higher position than at the lateralsides of the crown. The visor also includes a front perimeter edge 32having elongated tubular surface. Because of this, the front perimeteredge 32 of the visor 30 is rounded and smooth to the touch. A narrowchannel 34 is formed between this front perimeter edge 32 and the curvedupper surface of the visor 30. The channel 34 and the front perimeteredge 32 terminate at a lateral side of the visor, thus directing anymoisture that collects on the upper surface of the visor 30 to thelateral side of the headwear device 10 and away from the face of thewearer.

The two temple extension members 40, 42 extend rearwardly from thelateral portions of the visor 30. Each temple extension member 40, 42includes a cylindrical member 44 including an anterior lower bevel 46and a posterior upper bevel 48. Each cylindrical member 44 issubstantially solid with a generally oval or circular cross-sectionalshape. The cylindrical member 44 is connected to the visor 30 andextends in a posterior direction from the visor 30. The anterior lowerbevel 46 is integral with a lower surface of the visor 30. Accordingly,the lower surface of the visor 30 feeds directly into the anterior lowerbevel. The surface of the anterior lower bevel 46 is generally angledbetween 30° and 60° relative to a vertical centerline extending throughthe center of the crown 20. The anterior lower bevel 46 extends betweenthe lower surface of the visor 30 and an anterior end of one of the twoclips 60, 62. The surface of the posterior upper bevel 48 has asubstantially similar angle to that of the anterior lower bevel 46. Theposterior upper bevel 48 extends to an upper middle surface of the oneof the two clips 60, 62.

Each of the two clips 60, 62 includes a cylindrical portion 64 definingan axial recess 66 that is designed and dimensioned to receive a templeof a set of eyeglasses 90 (e.g., see FIG. 5) on which the headweardevice 10 is mounted. Each cylindrical portion 64 includes a medial walland a lateral wall provided on opposite sides of the axial recess 66. Anouter surface of the cylindrical portion 64 is defined along the outsideof the medial wall and the lateral wall. The outer surface extends tothe top of the cylindrical portion 64 where one of the temple extensionmembers 40, 42 is connected to the cylindrical portion 64. As notedpreviously, the posterior upper bevel 48 extends to a middle position onan upper side of the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 64. Theaxial recess 66 is defined on the interior of the cylindrical portion64. The axial recess includes 66 a center cavity 68 that is enlargedrelative to an axial bottom passage 70 that leads to the center cavity68. The center cavity 68 is sufficiently large to receive most templesof standard adult eyeglasses. The medial wall and the lateral walls ofthe cylindrical portion 64 are resiliently flexible relative to oneanother. Accordingly, at least one of the medial and the lateral wallsare configured to flex, thus allowing the axial bottom passage 70 to thecenter cavity 68 to increase and decrease in size. This allows the clips60, 62 to receive eyeglass temples of varying sizes into the centercavities 68 of the clips 60, 62, with the medial and lateral walls ofthe cylindrical portion clamping onto each eyeglass temple.

With particular reference now to FIG. 5, the headwear device 10 is shownmounted on a set of eyeglasses 90. The eyeglasses include rims 92 thatretain a set of lenses 94. Temples 96 extend rearwardly from the rims92. Together the rims 92 and the temples 96 provide frames for theeyeglasses 90. As noted previously, the temples 96 are received in theclips 60, 62 of the headwear device 10. The temple extension members 40,42 extend upward from the clips 60, 62 and place the visor 30 on a levelsuch that the bottom surface of the visor 30 can rest against the uppersurface of the rims 92 of the eyeglasses 90. This combination of theclips 60, 62 engaging the temples 96 of the eyeglasses and the visor 30resting on the rims 92 supports the headwear device 10 and secures it inplace on the eyeglasses 90. The crown 20 of the headwear device 10 isconfigured to rest generally above the rims 92 such that a forehead ofthe wearer abuts the curved interior surface of the crown 20.

Embodiment with Releasable Clip

FIGS. 6-9 illustrate a headwear device 100 that is used in place of theheadwear device 10 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5. Similarly to theheadwear device 10, the headwear device 100 is configured for use witheyeglasses having rims and two temples extending in a posteriordirection from the rims. The headwear device 100 includes a crown 120extending upwardly from a visor 130. Two first coupling members 140extend from the visor 130, and two second coupling members 160 areconfigured to releasably engage the first coupling members 140. Each ofthe second coupling members are configured to receive one of the templesof the eyeglasses.

The crown 120, the visor 130, and the first coupling members 140 areprovided as a unitary piece 110, similar to the headwear device 10, witheach component connected to another component such that no one componentcan be removed from another component without destruction of the unitarypiece 110. The second coupling members 160 are provided as separatelyformed pieces such that they are capable of being arranged on the templeof the eyeglasses independent of the unitary piece 110. For example, thesecond coupling members 160 may be connected to the temple of theeyeglasses before the unitary piece 110 is coupled to the secondcoupling member 160 or otherwise connected to the eyeglasses.

The headwear device 100 may be formed similarly to the headwear device10. The unitary piece 110 may be integrally formed using a moldingprocess, such as injection molding or compression molding. In otherembodiments, different processes such as 3D printing process or othermanufacturing process may be used. The second coupling member 160 mayalso be formed using these processes. Any of various materials describedwith regard to the headwear device 10 may be used to form the headweardevice 100, including lightweight and low-density polymer materials. Invarious embodiments the polymer may be provided in any of various formsthat offer structural stability yet light weight, such as foammaterials, cellular materials, metal materials or composite materials.

The crown 120 of the headwear device 100 is provided by a front panelthat extends in an upward direction from the visor 130. The crown 120 isprovided as a curved wall with gradually and continuously curvedinterior and exterior surfaces, similar to the crown 20 of the headweardevice 10. The curved interior surface is designed and dimensioned toclosely abut the forehead of a majority of adult humans and also spanthe width of a majority of adult eyeglasses (from a right lateral edgeof the rims to a left lateral edge of the rims). In at least oneembodiment, the height of the crown 120 is lower than the height of thecrown 20, for example, fifty (50) percent of the height of the crown 20.In another embodiment, the height of the crown 120 above the visor 130is substantially constant with the upper contour of the visor 130.Further, as best shown in FIG. 6, the crown 120 is provided withchamfered upper lateral edges that extend from lateral edges 132 of thevisor 130 towards the center of the crown 120 a greater distance thanthe chamfered edges of the crown 20. The reduced height and longerchamfered edges further reduce the weight of the crown 120 and thereforethe overall weight of the headwear device 100. The extra chamfering alsofurther reduces any possible interference with the hair of the wearerand any discomfort created by the crown 120 rubbing against the wearer'sforehead.

The visor 130 is configured similarly to the visor 30 described in theembodiment of FIGS. 1-5. The visor 130 provides a brim for the headweardevice 100 which extends outwardly from the crown 120 in a substantiallyhorizontal direction. The visor 130 includes two lateral portions 132located at the lateral terminal ends of the visor 130. The visor 130includes a curved upper surface with the center of the visor 130intersecting the crown at a slightly higher position than at the lateralsides of the crown. The visor 130 also includes a front perimeter edge134 that terminates at the two lateral portions 132 of the visor 130.

The first coupling members 140 extend from the two lateral portions 132of the visor 130. In the disclosed embodiment, the headwear device 100includes two first coupling members 140 (i.e., a left first couplingmember and a right first coupling member), each extending from one ofthe left and right lateral portions 132 of the visor 130. However, itwill be appreciated that in at least some embodiments, the headweardevice 100 includes only a single first coupling member extending fromone side of the visor (i.e., either the left or right side), and theopposite side is free of any coupling members. Accordingly, it will beappreciated that reference to “the first coupling member 140” in thepresent disclosure may be used in reference to an embodiment of theheadwear device 100 with a solitary first coupling member, or anembodiment with multiple first coupling members (such as the embodimentsof FIGS. 6 and 7 with both left and right side first coupling members140 provided on the headwear device 110).

With particular reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the first coupling member140 may extend in a perpendicular downward direction away from thelateral portion 132, although it should be appreciated that the firstcoupling member 140 may extend away from the lateral portion 132 inother directions, such as upward or at an angle in order to accommodatevarious head types and eyeglass requirements. As can be best seen inFIG. 6, the first coupling member 140 is arranged on the underside ofthe lateral portion 132 of the visor at a position posterior of theterminal edge of the visor 130 such that the chamfered edge of the crownextends to a middle position on an upper side of the outer surface ofthe first coupling member 140. This arrangement allows for the unitarypiece 110 to be attached to the eyeglasses via the second couplingmember 160 at a position farther back on the temples of the eyeglasses,thus increasing the rigidity and balance of the headwear device 100 onthe eyeglasses on the wearer.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 6-9, the first coupling member 140 isconfigured as a substantially cylindrical sleeve structure. The sleevestructure includes a cylindrical portion 142 having a generally oval orcircular cross-sectional shape, however in other embodiments, the sleevestructure may include rectangular or other polygonal cross-sectionalshapes. The cylindrical portion 142 defines an axial recess 148 designedand dimensioned to receive the second coupling member 160 on which theunitary piece 110 is mounted. An opening is defined at the bottom of thecylindrical portion 142 such that the axial recess 148 is exposed at thebottom of the cylindrical portion 142. The cylindrical portion 142includes a lateral wall 144 and a medial wall 146 provided on oppositesides of the axial recess 148. The cylindrical portion further includesan upper wall 152. The upper wall 152 is arched with the lateral wall144 and the medial wall 146 extending downwardly from opposite sides ofthe upper wall 152. The upper wall 152 includes an indent 156 formed onan inner surface of the upper wall 152. The indent 156 is configured toengage with a tab 176 extending from the second coupling member 160,which will be described in further detail below. The indent 156 may beconfigured as a recess or depression in the inner surface of the upperwall 152, or may completely extend through the upper wall 152 so as toform a hole in the upper wall 152.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 6-9, the lateral wall 144 and the medial wall146 each include at least one first rib 150 extending across the axiallength of the cylindrical portion 142 and projecting upwardly into theaxial recess 148. The lateral wall 144 and the medial wall 146 furtherinclude at least one first axial groove 154 formed adjacent to the firstrib 150 and along an inner surface of at least one of the lateral wall144 and the medial wall 146. Each axial groove 154 extends across theaxial length of the cylindrical portion 142. It should be appreciatedthat the cylindrical portion 142 may include as many ribs 150 and/oraxial grooves 154 as necessary to establish a rigid and robustconnection between the first coupling member 140 and the second couplingmember 160. The cylindrical portion 142 includes two lips 158 providedon a bottom of the lateral wall 144 and a bottom of the medial wall 146that create a curled shape on the bottoms of the walls 144, 146. Thelips 158 are configured to engage with the second coupling member 160 toincrease the strength of the connection between the first couplingmember 140 and the second coupling member 160. A bottom opening to theaxial recess 148 is provided between the lips 158. The forward andrearward ends of the cylindrical portion 142 are also open and provideforward and rearward openings to the axial recess 148.

With continued reference to FIGS. 6-9, the second coupling member 160 isprovided as a standalone piece that is configured to engage and attachto the temples of the eyeglasses and configured to engage the firstcoupling member 140. The headwear device 100 is provided with the samenumber of second coupling member 160 as first coupling members 140.Accordingly, if the unitary piece 110 of the headwear device includestwo first coupling members 140, two second coupling members 160 are alsoprovided (i.e., one for each temple of the eyeglasses).

As can be best seen in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, each second coupling member160 includes an outer surface 162 and an inner surface 168. The outersurface 162 is configured to releasably engage an inner surface of thefirst coupling member 140. The inner surface 168 defines an open axialchannel 164 that is designed and dimensioned to receive the temple ofthe eyeglasses. The axial channel 164 may be formed of a resilientmaterial such that the second coupling member 160 clips onto the templeof the eyeglasses. It should be appreciated that the axial channel 164may couple to the temple of the eyeglasses in a variety of ways, so longas the connection is strong enough to support the unitary piece 110 onthe second coupling member 160 and the eyeglasses. For example, in theembodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9, the second coupling member 160 includes aplurality of resilient ribs or teeth 174 that extend inwardly from thesecond surface 168 into the axial channel 164 and are configured toreleasably grip the temple of the eyeglasses. The resilient ribs/teeth174 deform when the temple of the eyeglasses is inserted into the axialchannel 164 and apply a force against the temple such that the secondcoupling member 160 is securely coupled to the temple by a friction-fit.The resilient ribs/teeth 174 prevent the second coupling member 160, andthe unitary piece 110, when attached, from being pulled away from thetemples of the eyeglasses in the vertical direction until a sufficientforce is applied to the second coupling member 160.

Alternatively, or in addition, the second coupling member 160 mayinclude a tacky material on the second surface 168 that is capable ofreleasably holding the second coupling member 160 in place on the templeof the eyeglasses. In at least one embodiment, the second couplingmember 160 may include a softer, low durometer plastic material on thesecond surface 168 of the axial channel 164, and a harder, more rigidplastic material towards the outer first surface 162. As a result, theaxial channel 164 may be easily manipulated by the wearer in order tocouple the second coupling member 160 to the temple of a variety ofeyeglasses, while also providing a rigid outer surface on which thefirst coupling member 140 of the unitary piece 110 may be secured.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 6-9, the second coupling member 160 isconfigured as a substantially cylindrical shaft structure having acontour on the outer surface 162 that is similar to the contour of theinner surface that defines the axial recess 148 of the first couplingmember 140. In other words, the cross-sectional shape of the outersurface 162 of the second coupling member 160 is complementary to theinner surface of the first coupling member 140. These cross-sectionalshapes are consistent along an entire axial direction of both the firstcoupling member 140 and the second coupling member 160. As a result, thesecond coupling member 160 is configured to slidably engage the firstcoupling member 140 in the axial direction such that the wearer mayeasily slide the unitary piece 110 onto the second coupling member 160disposed on the temples of the eyeglasses.

Alternatively, in at least one embodiment, the cross-sectional shape ofeither the first coupling member 140 or the second coupling member 160may be interrupted at some location along the component such that thefirst coupling member 140 is prevented from sliding relative to thesecond coupling member 160 when the two components reach a fullengagement position. In at least one embodiment, this full engagementposition may result in locking of the first coupling member 140 relativeto the second coupling member 160. For example, a tab 176 is provided onthe upper outer surface 162 of the second coupling member 160 to preventthe first coupling member 140 from pulling out of engagement with thesecond coupling member 160 in the horizontal direction until asufficient force is applied to the first coupling member. The tab 176engages the indent 156 of the first coupling member 140 to lock thefirst coupling member 140 in place relative to the second couplingmember 160 once the two components are sufficiently engaged to allow thetab 176 to click in place into the slot. The tab 176 may be formed of adeformable material, such as rubber or other soft plastics. Deformablesoft materials enable the tab 176 to compress when the first couplingmember 140 is slid over the second coupling member 160, and then assumeits original shape when the tab 176 is aligned with the indent 156. Thetab 176 may alternatively be formed as a cantilever arm, as a tab biasedby a spring, or another type snapping or elastic component.

With reference again to the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9, the secondcoupling member 160 includes at least one second axial groove 166 formedin the outer first surface 162 that is configured to slidably receivethe at least one first rib 150 of the first coupling member 140. Thesecond coupling member 160 further includes at least one second rib 170formed on and extending away from the outer first surface 162 andconfigured to slidably engage the at least one first axial groove 154 ofthe first coupling member 140. The second coupling member 160 includesas many axial grooves 164 and/or ribs 170 as are included in the firstcoupling member 140 such that the ribs and axial grooves each line upand engage each other and form a secure connection between the first andsecond coupling members 140, 160. In a further embodiment, the secondcoupling member 160 includes two further axial grooves 172 formed in anunderside of the second coupling member 160 that are configured toslidably receive the two lips 158 of the first coupling member 140.

Alternative Embodiments

While FIGS. 1-5 and 6-9 disclose two different embodiments of theheadwear device, it will be appreciated that any number of additionalembodiments are contemplated. For example, in at least one furtherembodiment, as can be seen in FIG. 10, the second coupling member 160may alternatively be configured as a fully-enclosed cylindrical piece180 with openings at opposing forward and rearward ends of thecylindrical piece. The cylindrical piece 180 does not include a bottomopening such that the axial channel 164 is only open at the forward andrearward ends of the cylindrical piece. As a result, the second couplingmember 160 does not clip onto the temple of the eyeglasses, but insteadis slid onto the temple via the exposed end of the temple. As discussedabove, the cylindrical piece 180 of the second coupling member 160 maybe formed with a softer inner portion 182 and a harder outer portion184. The softer inner portion 182 may be formed from rubber or othersoft plastics such that the second coupling member 160 is flexible. Thesecond coupling member 160 being flexible allows the headwear device 100to be used with a wide range of eyeglasses including temples of variousshapes and sizes. The cylindrical piece 180 includes at least one secondrib 186 and at least one second axial groove 188 that are configuredsimilarly to the rib 170 and the groove 166 described above. In thisembodiment, the first coupling member 140 includes a cylindrical innersurface matching the outer surface of the cylindrical piece 180 suchthat the first coupling member 140 may slide flush over the secondcoupling member 160. The first rib 150 and the first axial groove 154 ofthe first coupling member 140 are configured to engage the second rib186 and the second axial groove 188 of the cylindrical piece 180.

In at least one embodiment, the second coupling member 160 isdimensioned to be substantially similar to the first coupling member140. In particular, the lateral end surfaces of the first and secondcoupling members 140, 160 are approximately flush with each other inorder to create a balanced weight distribution of the unitary piece 110on the eyeglasses. Furthermore, the outer first surface 162 of thesecond coupling member 160 may be provided with small bumps, asemi-tacky surface, or other suitable surfaces capable of lightlygripping the inner surfaces of the lateral wall 144 and the medial wall146 of the first coupling member 140 such that the unitary piece 110does not easily slide off of the eyeglasses when the wearer alters theposition of the wearer's head or body.

It should be appreciated that the first and second coupling members 140,160 may be coupled to one another using a variety of methods, so long asthe unitary piece 110 is able to be secured to the temples of theeyeglasses. For example, as can be seen in FIG. 11, a headwear device200 is shown having a unitary piece 210, a crown 220, and a visor 230.The first coupling member 240 includes a shaft-like structure similar tothe second coupling member 160 described above and is attached to theunitary piece 210. The second coupling member 260 includes a sleeve-likestructure similar to the first coupling member 140 described above. Inthis case, the sleeve-like structure of the second coupling member 260may be releasably coupled to the temple of the eyeglasses via similarmethods as described above. For example, the second coupling member 260includes a further coupling member 280 extending therefrom, the furthercoupling member 280 including an axial recess 282 configured to coupleto the temple of the eyeglasses. The further coupling member 280 maycouple to the temple via clipping onto the temple, gripping the temple,or via any of the aforementioned methods of coupling. The shaft-likestructure of the first coupling member 240 releasably engages the secondcoupling member 260 similarly to the methods described above with regardto the first and second coupling members 140, 160. For example, thefirst and second coupling members 240, 260 may include a plurality ofribs and axial grooves configured to slidably engage with each other.

The first and second coupling members 140, 160, 240, 260 may be coupledtogether using alternative coupling methods. These may include but arenot limited to Velcro, snaps, and clamps, and may or may not requireribs and/or axial grooves in the first and second coupling members 140,160, 240, 260. As a result, the unitary piece 110, 210 may be slid orpressed onto the eyeglasses by the wearer, and the coupling may beeasily carried out regardless of whether the eyeglasses are mounted ornot mounted on the wearer's head.

It should be further appreciated that the headwear device may be formedfrom multiple materials. For example, in another embodiment shown inFIGS. 12A and 12B, a headwear device 300 includes a unitary piece 310, acrown 320, a visor 330, a first coupling member 340, and a secondcoupling member 360, all configured similarly to the correspondingcomponents described above with regard to the headwear device 100.However, instead of being formed from a single material similar to theunitary piece 110, the unitary piece 310 is formed from two or morematerials. As can be seen in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the unitary piece 310 isformed from a first material 370 and a second material 380. The firstmaterial 370, shown with the color gray in FIGS. 12A and 12B, may be aharder material, such as metal or a robust plastic that provides astable core for the headwear device 300. The second material 380, shownwith the color red in FIGS. 12A and 12B, may be a softer material, suchas a soft, low durometer plastic. This configuration advantageouslyprovides a solid core for the headwear device 300 that reinforces theunitary piece 310. This prevents damage to the headwear device 300during transport or other situations in which the headwear device 300may experience impact. This configuration also provides for a moreaesthetic headwear device 300 if the multiple materials consist ofvarious colors and/or textures. The headwear device 300 may also be morecomfortable to wear since the harder inner material 370 may be coatedwith a softer outer material 380 which ultimately contacts the wearer'shead.

Method of Using Headwear Device

A method 400 of carrying out the coupling of the headwear device 100,200, 300 to the wearer's eyeglasses in order to shield a wearer's eyesfrom light is described herein. The method 400 consists of a first step402 of connecting a clip to a temple of the eyeglasses on the wearer'shead, the eyeglasses including at least one lens and frames, the framesincluding the temple. A second step 404 includes arranging theeyeglasses on the wearer's head. A third step 406 includes providing avisor with at least one sleeve connected to the visor. Finally, a fourthstep 408 includes engaging the sleeve with the clip such that the sleeveis releasably connected to the clip, and the visor is positioned on thewearer's head above the eyeglasses.

The above-described headwear devices 10, 100, 200, 300 are configured tofit on conventional eyeglasses and effectively shield light from theeyes of a wearer in bright light situations. The headwear devices 10,100, 200, 300 are also easy to carry, lightweight, and concealable whennot in use. Additionally, when worn, the headwear devices 10, 100, 200,300 do not contact the hair of the wearer to a substantial degree andthus do not result in damage to the wearer's hairstyle.

The foregoing detailed description of one or more exemplary embodimentsof the headwear device with visor for eyeglasses has been presentedherein by way of example only and not limitation. It will be recognizedthat there are advantages to certain individual features and functionsdescribed herein that may be obtained without incorporating otherfeatures and functions described herein. Moreover, it will be recognizedthat various alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements ofthe above-disclosed exemplary embodiments and other features andfunctions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into manyother different embodiments, systems or applications. Presentlyunforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, orimprovements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in theart which are also intended to be encompassed by the appended claims.Therefore, the spirit and scope of any appended claims should not belimited to the description of the exemplary embodiments containedherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A headwear device configured for use witheyeglasses including at least one lens and two eyeglass temples, theheadwear device comprising: a visor; two temple extension membersconnected to opposing lateral sides of the visor; and two clipsconnected to the two temple extension members, each clip defining anaxial recess, the axial recess designed and dimensioned to receive oneof the two eyeglass temples.
 2. The headwear device of claim 1 wherein:the headwear device is a monolithic component; and the visor, the twotemple extension members, and the two clips are integrally formed from apolymer material.
 3. The headwear device of claim 1 wherein the headweardevice further includes a crown designed and dimensioned to closely abuta forehead of a majority of adult humans.
 4. The headwear device ofclaim 1 wherein a front perimeter edge of the visor includes anelongated tubular surface.
 5. The headwear device of claim 1 whereineach clip defines a cylindrical portion including a medial wall and alateral wall provided on opposite sides of the axial recess, the medialwall resiliently flexible relative to the lateral wall.
 6. The headweardevice of claim 5 wherein the axial recess includes a center cavity thatis enlarged relative to a bottom passage to the center cavity.
 7. Theheadwear device of claim 1 wherein each temple extension membercomprises a cylindrical member including an anterior lower bevel and aposterior upper bevel.
 8. The headwear device of claim 7 wherein thecylindrical member is connected to and extends in a posterior directionfrom the visor, and wherein the anterior lower bevel is integral with alower surface of the visor.
 9. The headwear device of claim 8 whereinthe anterior lower bevel extends between the lower surface of the visorand an anterior end of one of the two clips, and wherein the posteriorupper bevel extends to an upper middle surface of the one of the twoclips.
 10. The headwear device of claim 1 wherein the two clips arereleasably connected to the two temple extension members.
 11. A headweardevice configured for use with eyeglasses including at least one lensand frames, the frames including a temple, the headwear devicecomprising: a visor including two lateral portions; a coupling memberextending from at least one of the two lateral portions configured toreceive the temple of the eyeglasses.
 12. The headwear device of claim11, further comprising: a crown connected to the visor, the crownincluding a curved interior surface designed and dimensioned to closelyabut a forehead of a majority of adult humans.
 13. The headwear deviceof claim 12, wherein: the visor, the crown, and the coupling member areintegrally formed from a polymer material.
 14. The headwear device ofclaim 11 wherein the coupling member is a first coupling member, theheadwear device further comprising a second coupling member releasablyengaging the first coupling member, the second coupling member includinga first surface engaging the first coupling member, and a second surfaceconfigured to grip the temple of the eyeglasses.
 15. The headwear deviceof claim 11, wherein the coupling member includes a cylindrical portiondefining an axial recess, the cylindrical portion having at least onefirst rib extending inwardly into the axial recess and at least onefirst axial groove formed in an inner surface of the cylindricalportion.
 16. A method of shielding a wearer's eyes from light,comprising: connecting a clip to a temple of eyeglasses, the eyeglassesincluding at least one lens and frames, the frames including the temple;arranging the eyeglasses on a head of the wearer; providing a visorconnected to the clip such that the visor and the clip are releasablypositioned on the wearer above the eyeglasses.
 17. The method of claim16 wherein the visor includes at least one sleeve connected to thevisor, the method further comprising engaging the sleeve with the clipsuch that the sleeve is releasably connected to the clip, and the visoris positioned above the eyeglasses.